Diaper Need

ALTBC is a member of the

Why diapers?

“I am a single mom at the moment due to my 2 month old daughter father is in jail. I just paid my rent and everything and don’t have any money left at all I would really appreciate if you do help with diapers maybe you could help our family.”

Diaper need is when a mother walks into the Texarkana Salvation Army Shelter with her baby wearing a makeshift diaper made of napkins and pins.

Diaper need is when a father at a checkout line sets aside diapers because he cannot purchase diapers and groceries for his family.

“[…] we have no money and can’t afford anything right now. We don’t even know how we are going to pay rent but besides all that I need diapers for my 9 month old and 2 year old. [The diapers] are appreciated more than you know. Thank you so much. That’s one less finance we have to worry about.”

An estimated 5.3 million U.S. children (or about half the U.S. population ages 0-3 years) are affected by diaper need and 33% of American moms struggle to get diapers for their children. The purchase of diapers is prohibited with food stamps (SNAP) and WIC (Women, Infants, and Children program). Most daycare centers require the parent to supply diapers or pull-ups for the child to be at the center for that day. If you are a mom who cannot afford to buy diapers for your child then you might to miss a day of work or school just because you don’t the diapers to place your child in daycare and you cannot find a babysitter.

Diapers are expensive. Diapers need to be changed 8-10 times per day and diapers on average can cost $60-80 per month or more. Now multiply that per child per month for the next 4 or 5 years and it adds up!

In the 17 counties ALTBC will serve there are over 18,000 children under the age of five living below the poverty line who are affected by diaper need.

Harvest Texarkana, the regional food bank, conducted a food insecurity study for the counties they serve. Their study showed that 71% of the households they serve have to choose between rent or food, and 81% had to make a choice between food and utilities in the past year. So if families have to make those hard choices then it is obvious they would struggle with buying diapers or pull-ups for their baby every month.

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3 thoughts on “Diaper Need”

For many years the Parents have been using diapers for their newly born babies. Usually, a newly born baby needs 8 diapers every day (24 hours). You will have to feed your baby after every 3 hours continuously. A newborn sleeps most of the time every day. During feeding, if the baby feels wet for pee. The baby can stop taking feed. Which is not good for baby health. Same as, sleep of the baby should be completed without disturbance. These two things are the very important for a newly born baby. By using Diapers, we can ensure these two matter for our loving baby.

Thank you for your comment. Yes, diapers are essential for babies to be healthy. ALTBC believes that any parent who cannot afford diapers should have access to a diaper bank or diaper pantry so they can get enough diapers for their baby. There are ways you can support us in this effort